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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

An increase in light gives an increase in darkness

When my son was four years old, I took him on trip to see some of the places I remember visiting as a child.

One of the places I took him was Crystal Cave near Kutztown, PA. The cave has been a tourist attraction for over 140 years. It's known for it's unusual rock and, of course, crystal formations.

Like any indulgent parent, we visited the gift shop where he picked out a child-size miner's helmet equipped with a working lantern. He immediately popped the helmet on to his head and off we went to do the tour.

The tour guide pointed out formations of interest and talked about the history of the cave. We reached a point in the cave where he warned us that they would be turning off the lights so that we could experience total darkness. I explained to my son what was about to happen and he said he wasn't afraid.

My brave boy!

They turned off the lights and we were engulfed in complete blackness. For only a moment though . . . almost as soon as they lights were off my son flicked on the light on his miner helmet. Yeah, that kind of ruined the experience for everyone else on the tour. But it sure was funny!

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Sauteed Spinach and Green Beans With Garlic

3 Cups Frozen Green Beans

10 Ounce Package Baby Spinach

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Heat a large skillet and then add the olive oil.

When the oil is nice and hot throw in the green beans and season with salt and pepper.

Add the spinach and let that wilt down, stirring occasionally.

Add in the garlic, lemon juice and the butter and stir over low-medium heat. You don't want the garlic to brown but you do want it to cook for about 5-10 minutes and incorporate all the flavors.